The Crucifixion of Christ Drawing by Michelangelo

The Crucifixion of Christ is another of the religious pictures made for Vittoria Colonna in the 1540s that are collectively known as presentation drawings. They were made c. 1541 using the medium of black chalk on paper. Michelangelo used a stippling, or dabbling, effect with the chalk, which he also employed in the other presentation drawings. The stippling technique means that the delineation around the figure of Christ is darker and therefore he seems to stand out against the background. Stippling is also used to create shadows. The techniques used in the presentation drawings differ greatly from later drawings such as Study for a Crucifixion.

There are few signs of life in the figure of Christ; the skull seen at the foot of the cross symbolizes his approaching death. Under Christ's outstretched arms are the figures of two angels. One angel looks worriedly at Christ, while the other looks despondently to the ground. Their expressions indicate that Christ is about to die. His face, as he gazes upwards to Heaven, shows signs of intense suffering and this portrayal was greatly admired by Vittoria Colonna for the profound religious sentiments it portrayed.